The Atlanta Falcons are 3-7 in the 2025 season. But as luck would have it, veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins is set to start again for them as starter Michael Penix Jr. injured his knee against the Carolina Panthers in the Week 11 loss. That gives a blow to their hope of cutting the 37-year-old. It will hit their purse badly.

Cousins joined the Falcons in 2024 on a major four-year deal. He signed a $180 million contract that runs from 2024 through 2027. The contract includes a $50 million signing bonus and $100 million guaranteed money. This year, the signal caller has a $40 million cap hit. So, if they cut him after 2025, they will have to pay him the dead charge of $35 million. The deal also gives him a full no-trade clause, meaning the team cannot trade him unless he agrees.

However, there’s another surprising angle. The $100 million guarantee is split into 2 parts. They have already paid him $90 million, including a signing bonus, 2024 salary, and 2025 salary. Kirk Cousins would be guaranteed $10 million on the 5th league day of the 2026 season. But it doesn’t mean that will stop the Falcons from cutting him if they really want to.

Back in 2022, they traded quarterback Matt Ryan to the Indianapolis Colts. The move created $40.525 million in dead money, which was actually higher than the cap number for any quarterback who was still playing for his team that season. The financial impact on the Falcons extended beyond just Ryan’s contract.

They also carried dead money from receiver Julio Jones ($15.5 million), defensive end Dante Fowler ($4.667 million), and defensive tackle Tyeler Davison ($1.213 million). In total, Atlanta absorbed $62.097 million in dead money on the 2022 salary cap. It was one of the highest dead-cap totals ever taken by an NFL team.

“We’re taking it on the chin this year,” GM Terry Fontenot had remarked after Ryan’s trade.

Are they solid enough to take a hit again next year? The bigger issue is that Cousins doesn’t give them the production for the price point.

Kirk Cousins has failed miserably in 2025

This year, he has played 3 games (started one) and completed 32 of 52 attempts for 250 yards for zero touchdowns and zero interceptions. Out of 43 QBs with 50+ pass attempts in the league currently, he ranks last in yards per pass (4.8). He is slightly better at 42nd place among 43 signal callers in yards per game (83.3), as Ravens quarterback Cooper Rush has a poor record (75.8).

Yet, that isn’t a great jump, as Kirk Cousins has completed fewer passes (32) than Rush (34). So, his downfall continues, and it keeps worrying the management, the locker room, and the fans.

If you ask anyone who watched him play in the 2024 season, it was expected. Last year, he played 14 games (all starts) and finished with a 7-7 record with an 18-16 TD-interception ratio. That was his worst career performance in interceptions and the most by a QB in the league in 2024.

The loss in his production could be attributed to the 2023 Achilles injury. After signing with the Falcons, he recovered from the Achilles injury he suffered with the Minnesota Vikings. But the performance hasn’t elevated to the level fans expected from him. In 2022, he finished the regular season with a 13-4 record in 17 games. Age could also be a factor.

But the fact of the matter remains that the Falcons knew these things beforehand. But they still took a gamble. They need him to fire on all cylinders now, or it will be too late.